Federal Election 2019: Fraser Anning denies he’s a neo-Nazi during trip to German Arms hotel in SA, says he stands up for Jews

On his second visit to Hahndorf, at the German Arms hotel, controversial far-right Senator Fraser Anning said he’s the only one that “stands up for the Jewish community and Israelis” in Parliament.

Fraser Anning with his Conservative National Party candidates Peter Manuel, Rajan Vaid and Adrian Cheok at the German Arms in Hahndorf. Picture: Tom Huntley

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Fraser Anning has claimed that he is the only person who “stands up for the Jewish community and Israelis” in Federal Parliament and that if there are “neo-Nazis” in Parliament, it’s the Liberals, Labor and the Greens.

During his second visit to SA and Hahndorf on the federal election campaign trail, the controversial Conservative National Party leader doubled down on comments made about Muslim immigration and labelled two candidates who apologised for comments they made on social media as “gutless”.

Mr Anning’s comments about Muslim immigration in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack were widely condemned in Australia with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying they had no place in the country.

At the German Arms hotel in Hahndorf, Mr Anning, who has also called for a “final solution” to Muslim immigration in Australia during his maiden speech to the Senate said he stood by those comments.

“Not at all, why would (not) I be,” he said. “I did not say anything derogatory about Christchurch.”

Conservative National Party candidate for Boothby Adrian Cheok with Fraser Anning at the German Arms in Hahndorf. Picture: Tom Huntley

When asked if he had used taxpayer funds to travel to meet with neo-Nazis, Mr Anning said he in fact was the biggest supporter of the Jewish community in Parliament.

“I’m not a neo-Nazi, that’s one of the tags that the left-wing media have put on me,” he said.

“But if you have a look at the record of the Senate the only person that stands up for the Jewish community and Israelis is me.

“And the people that who vote against me on every occasion has been the Liberals, Labor and the Greens. So if there are neo-Nazis, it’s them, not me.”

Mr Anning said proof of this was a motion he put into the Senate for Australia to withdraw funding to the Palestinian Authority, which he said was $43.8 million.

“The Authority uses that money for a pay to slay program,” he said.

“If you happen to be a Palestinian and you kill an innocent Israeli and you go to jail, you get paid to do that. It’s my position on that and it was voted down.”

He also labelled now disendorsed Liberal candidate for Lyons in Tasmania Jessica Whelan and Katter Party candidate Brendan Bunyan as “gutless” for apologising for comments they made on social media criticising Mulism immigration.

“If you make a comment that you believe in and you are then going to take a step back from it because you are afraid of getting disendorsed for it, it is gutless,” he said.

The candidates Mr Anning announced were former United Australia Party candidate Adrian Cheok for Boothby, Rajan Vaid for Hindmarsh and Peter Manuel and Tim Dwyer for the Senate.

He said more than 300 people in South Australia expressed interest in joining his party.